Eight crew members of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) were killed and three others were injured when the roof of a decades old building collapsed on them at the TNSTC depot at Porayar in Nagapattinam district in the wee hours of Friday.

A pall of gloom descended on this town and surrounding villages, from where the deceased hailed, even as the opposition parties and trade unions blamed the state government for the tragedy, alleging that it had ignored their concerns about the safety of the over-65-year-old structure.

The crew members of the TNSTC were sleeping in the building, when the collpase happened around 3.30 am, killing them on the spot, sources said. The three others who sustained injuries were rushed to Karaikal General Hospital.

PMK founder S Ramadoss demanded the resignation of the state government as the accident had happened due to its negligence. “The building which collapsed at Porayar must be at least 75 years old as it was constructed by a private bus operator called Sakthi Vilas Transport in 1943,” said Ramadoss.

DMK working president M K Stalin said it was worrying that eight transport corporation employees had died due to the roof collapse.

Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswami has announced compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh for the next of kin of the dead and a government job for one member of each family. Those who sustained severe injuries will get Rs 1.5 lakh, and those with mild injuries will get Rs 50,000.